Rotary engine



' m5 Model.) 2 Su dia -Sheet 2. R & E. LANZONEQ ROTARY ENGINE. Nd.572,707. Patented Dec. 8, 189 6.

WITNESSESL J mvtmons- ATTORNEY W Norms PETifls co. moro-ufuu, wAsNmaYoM.04 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH LANZ ON E AND EDWVARD LANZONE, OF SOUTH RIVER,

- NEW JERSEY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,707, dated December8, 1896.

Application filed April 14, 1896.

tion.

Our invention relates to rotary engines adapted to utilize fluids undertension, such as steam, compressed air, &c.

Our engine comprises, as its essential characteristic features, arotatable hollow annulus or annular cylinder having a out-01f slide orslides to close the annular passage therethrough at proper points in therevolution, inlets and outlets for the fluid under tension, suitablemeans for closing and opening said inlets and outlets at properintervals, and a relatively heavy gravity-abutment in the annularpassage'in the rotating annulus, said abutment being free and fittingsnugly in said passage, whereby when fluid under tension is admittedbehind one of the cut-off slides and between said slide and saidgravityabutment the annulus or annular cylinder will be rotated by thereactionary pressure of the fluid on said abutment, which remainsstationary, or substantially so, by reason of its inertia.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated an embodiment of ourinvention, together with automatic mechanism for operating the cut-offslides and the valves which upon which the engine operates.

control the inlet and exhaust ports and with a governor for controllingthe admission of steam, whereby the benefits of expansion are ing themechanisms for operating the valves which control the steam inlets andexhaust ports. Fig. 6 shows the three positions of the valve foradmitting steam to the engine in three separate views.

In the construction shown in the drawings,

1 is a bed-plate in which is rotatively mounted Serial No. 587,494. (Nomodel.)-

a hollow shaft 2, adapted to receive steam at one end through asupply-pipe 3 and to exhaust at the other end through an exhaustpipe 4.On this shaft is keyed a pulley 5 for driving machinery through themedium of a belt.

Fixed on the shaft 2, through the medium of a boss 6 and arms 7, is ahollow annulus 8,

' which we will call, for convenience, the cylinder of the engine. Asherein shown, the annular bore in this cylinder is circular incross-section, and the cylinder is made up of sections and boltedtogether for convenience of construction, but these features are notessential to the invention.

Mounted in the cylinder and arranged radially, or nearly so, are twocut-off slides 9 and 9. These slides are diametrically opposite to eachother, and automatic mechanism will be provided for operating them. Thatshown in the drawings will be hereinafter described. It Will besuflicient to say here that after one slide shall have been closed theother will be instantly opened. These slides perform the function ofcylinder-heads, and the cylinder is provided with steam-inlets 10 and10, just back of the respective slides, and steam-outlets 11 and 11 (tothe exhaust) just in front of the respective slides. The valves forcontrolling the inlets and outlets for the steam and the mechanism shownfor automatically operating said valves will be hereinafter described.Any mechanism that will effect the object may, however, be employed.

In the bore of the cylinder is the gravityabutment 12, hereinbeforementioned. This is a simple heavy body having a circular cross-sectionof a size to fit substantially steam-tight in the cylinder and curvedlongitudinally to fit the circle of the bore. This abutment should be asheavy as possible relatively to the engine.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the en gine, designed merely to showthe operation. The slide 9 is closed and slide 9 open. The steaminlet 10is open and inlet 1'0 closed. The exhaust-outlet 11 is open andexhaust-outlet 11 is closed. The steam entering at the inlet 10 acts onthe slide 9 and reacts on the end of the abutment 12 adjacent as on apiston,

causing the cylinder 8 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow.2. The steam in front of slide 10 exhausts at outlet 11. When the opencut-01f slide 9 shall have passedv the lower end of the abutment 12, itinstantly closes and the slide 9 opens. As soon as the slide 9 closesthe ports 10 and 11" open, the ports 10 and 11 being closed at the sametime. The operation is then repeated. The abutment is represented inFigs. 1 and 3 in its most advantageous position, its weight being whollysupported by the pressure of steam on its lower end.

WVe will now describe the mechanisms illustrated herein forautomatically operating the cut-off slides and the valves, premisingthat we do not limit ourselves to these, as other mechanisms maybe usedas well.

Each cut-off slide 9 or 9 is inclosed in a guiding-casing 13 and has astem 14, which plays through a suitable stuffi'ng-box in the casing, andon said stem is fixed a laterallyprojecting lug or toe 15, as clearlyshown in I Figs. 1 and 4. In the cylinder 8 is formed a pocket 16, inwhich is mounted a rock-shaft 17, provided with an arm 18, bearing atits enda stud or roller adapted toengage, as the cylinder rotates, a cam12 on the rear or upper end of the abutment 12, whereby at each rotationof the cylinder the roller'on the arm 18 engages said cam and rocks saidshaft 17. On the outer or projecting end of the shaft 17 is fixed an arm19, which also carries a stud or roller adapted to bear on a lever 20,fulcrumed on the cylinder, and by the rocking of said shaft 17 to imparta quick swinging movement to said lever 20. The free end of the lever20is coupled to the outer end of the stem 14 of the slide 9 and acts toclose said slide when the shaft is rocked by the cam on the abutment 12.

On the rock-shaft 17 is loosely orv frictionally hung an arm 21, whichis coupled to the lateral lug or toe 15, carried by the stem of theslide 9?, so that the swinging of said arm 21 serves to open the slide 9but as the slide 9 must be fully closed before the slide 9 begins toopen we cause the first part or half of the movement of the rock-shaft17, acting through the arm 19, to actuate the lever 20, the last part orhalf of said movement being inelfective, as the lever 20 is curved so asto permit the stud on the arm 19 to play over it. WVhen, however, thearm 19 shall have reached the end of its'effective stroke, a stud 22(see Fig. 1) on a short arm on the rock-shaft engages the loose arm 21and causes it to act to open the slide 9.

There are two oppositely-arranged. sets of the devices last described,as seen in Fig. 1, and when the slides are operated by one set of thesedevices the said slides act to return the other set to their firstposition.

It will benoted that. as the cam 12 is on the rear or upper end of theabutment 12 it is immaterial what position the latter may occupy. Theslide which is passing it will not away at one side, so that by rockingit either the portll or 11 may be put in connection with theexhaust-passage in the shaft 2, as seenin Fig. 2, through theconnecting-pipes 25. On each end of the valve-plug is a crankstud 26,and these are adapted to be engaged each by a projecting .stud 27,carried by the stem of one of the cut-off slides, so as to rock orpartially rotate the plug. Thus when the slide 9 is closing, the stud27, carried by it,

engages a crank-stud 26 on the plug of the exhaust-valve, rocks saidplug and opens the exhaust to the port 11. The closing of the otherslide, 9, opens the port 11" to the exhaust.

Theplug of the steam-inlet valve 23 is cut away, as seen in Fig. 6, soas to admit steam to either port 10 or 10, or to cut it off entirely, asindicated in the intermediate view, Fig. 6. The plug of this valve alsohas a crank-stud 28 at eachend, adapted to be engaged by studs 29,carried by the stems of the respective slides 9 and 9. The stud 29 onthe opening slide engages a stud 28 011 the valve, rocks the plugthereof, so as to admit steam, and then passes the stud on the plug,

leaving the latter to be rotated backto the cut-off position(intermediate view, Fig. 6) by a spring 30, (seenin Fig. 2,) which e11-gages a V-shaped notch in the projecting end of the valve-plug. Thestuds 29are hinged in a well-known way, so that when the slide moves inthe opposite direction in closing the stud 29 will yield and wipe by thestud on the valve-plug without operating the latter. The opening slideis made to operate the valve to admit steam, as the other slide must befully closed before steam is admitted- We have shown in Fig. 2 aball-governor G, carried by the shaft 2 and provided with a sheath 31,which is secured to the slide ing ring 32 of the governor and arranged,so

as to snugly embrace the spring 30, which,

latter is fixed at one end to the fixed ring or collar 33 or anyfixedcollar on the shaft. WVhen the balls of the governor fly out,-the sheath31 is pushed forward, so as to embrace and sheathe more of the spring30, thus shortening its free operative portion and stiffening thespring, so that it acts more quickly to close the valve and cut off thesteam. Thus the steam is worked. expansively and the cut-off controlledby the governor.

We have shown the movable cut-off heads- 9 and 9 as radially-arrangedslides, and we claimprefer this arrangement, but any arrangement bywhich such heads are made to perform their duties will serve. There maybe one or more of these heads or cut-off slides. To lessen thewaste-space between the head (9 in Fig. 3) and the lower end of theabutment 12, the latter may be cut beveled, as shown, so as to allow thehead to close and yet reduce the waste-space to a minimum.

We may say that where only one cut-off slide or head is employed twocylinders or engines will be mounted on a common shaft. Otherwise atleast two such slides must be used. There is no advantage gained,however, in using more than two slides, as the abutment 12 should neverfill more than half the annular bore of the cylinder.

Having thus described our invention, we

1. A rotary engine comprising a rotating, annular cylinder, providedwith one or more movable cut-off heads, and with inlets and outlets fora fluid under tension, automatic mechanism for operating said heads andfor controlling the admission and exhaust of said fluid, and an abutmentmounted in the bore of said cylinder, said abutment being free andsustained in its position only by gravity, as set forth.

2. A rotary engine comprising a rotativelymounted shaft, having in it apassage for the supply of steam or other fluid to the engine and anexhaust-passage, an annular cylinder fixed on said shaft and providedwith ports to admit the fluid and ports for the exhaust, 3 5 arranged inpairs, cut-off slides, one between each pair of ports in the cylinder,an abutment 12, in the bore of the cylinder and provided with a cam 12for operating the slides and valves, the said valves, in the main shaft,40 and mechanism, carried by the cylinder, for operating said slides andvalves through the medium of the said cam, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with '45 the rotatively-mountedcylinder, having inlet-ports for a fluid under tension, an abutmentmounted in the bore thereof, a hollow shaft on which said cylinder ismounted, and a valve 23 in said shaft, the plug of which is 50 adaptedto admit steam and to cut it off, of the spring 30, its tip engaging theplug, a governor G, carried by the shaft and having a movable ring 32,and a sheath 31, carried by. said ring and embracing said spring, 55whereby the movement of said ring under the influence of thegovernor-balls serves to cause the sheath to inclose more or less of thespring and vary its stiffness, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

In witness whereof We have hereunto signed our names in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

RUDOLPH LANZONE. EDWARD LANZONE.

Witnesses:

HENRY CoNNE'rT, PETER A. Boss.

